The Dance Card

Kapidolo Farms

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So today I started introducing males into female enclosures, they got about a three hour dance. At first there was denial that a male was present. That led to males going over and saying "hello there". The females then rammed the males for about 1/2 or so and then rested. The males recovered from their greeting, and returned the favor off and on for about two hours. No 'slow' dance observed. The males then all went home to their enclosures. My largest male is smaller than the smallest female in the dance club. I'll make some movies the next time and post it here.
 

tortadise

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Great title Will. Fascinating behavior in this species isn't it? Courtship is quite tense and standoffish of both sexes, but ends in a hopeful future of offspring. Hope you get outstanding fertility. This certainly is there breeding time. All my indotestudo is very active right now.
 

Turtlepete

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I saw this in my pair for the first time yesterday, little confusing. I found the female with the male in the corner. The female had her head tucked in and was "swinging" back on forth on her legs standing up, ramming her shell into him. It was sort of comical. I was of course worried though, so I moved them apart and watched them for the next hour….The male was back to chowing down on papaya and Mazuri about 15 seconds after the encounter, and he was the one being rammed! The female just sat there glaring at him (like women so often do) for about 5 minutes while he was eating. 15 minutes later all was forgiven and they were sharing the same hide again….Leaving me to wonder, what was that all about?
Haven't witnessed them breeding at all yet. Is this behavior a precedent to that? I was a little worried about the aggression, but neither animal was bothered in the least by the encounter, and I haven't seen it since. Also, what is usually considered breeding sized?
Would love to see some video's of yours doing it :).
 

wellington

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Can't wait to see the vid. I too loved,the title. I thought you went to one of those old time dances:D
 

Flipper

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"Like women so often do" rofl!

I can tell this is going to be a super greatly awesome thread!!!

Fun title!
 

Turtlepete

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"Like women so often do" rofl!

I can tell this is going to be a super greatly awesome thread!!!

Fun title!

To make it even more fitting, after separated the male just had this look like, "What did I do wrong?".

Exactly like men do when women are mad at them and we have NO IDEA why….
 

Flipper

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To make it even more fitting, after separated the male just had this look like, "What did I do wrong?".

Exactly like men do when women are mad at them and we have NO IDEA why….
You're killin me ;)
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Ben posted an image awhile back where one pushed that agression a bit far. All ended well as I recall. Ben's threads have many great anecdotes about this species, he is the 'old man' on this block here on TFO.

I have to wait for days off from work, I introduce the males into the female enclosure, then go about the higher end enclosure maintenance for everybody. That way I don't forget, not that all the thumping is easy to ignore. Next dance is about a week and half away, I'll make the video then.

Entirly speculation on my part to suggest this, but the intense ramming as courtship tends to lead me to beieve these tortoises do not encounter each other in the wild so frequently and therefore may have really good reatined fertile ova. The contrary point of view is there is a more precise time of year or 'natural signal' saying it's time to dance. The manner of ramming each other is reminiscent of Russian tortoises. They have a very limited dance period in their native habitat.

What I have read of in-situ natural history does not indicate that these are anything other than speculative ideas.
 

Benjamin

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I hope to hear about oviposition with your forstenii starting November this year!
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Well, a week later and we have slow dance, two video links one is the first few minutes, where the female is, so far, the initial aggressor, then the male sorta gets focus, and turns the flow of aggression. The second video is the female, just take'n it all in, I hope, that special package was delivered.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8vkyzqm1mxqaxtk/2014-08-03 09.57.45.mp4
https://www.dropbox.com/s/izsum5yt90nyzfx/2014-08-03 10.49.07.mp4

In the first video, as with all the males and females I have, the male is the smaller individual. He took a beating then that female retired for the day into her house, and the male just explored, I don't think they 'hooked up'. But the dance floor is still open, maybe later today.

The second video is another couple hooking up with the Hugggh Huggh sounds of a successful male, and the acquiescent winking eyes of a female. A quick look around at some others and back to the slow dance. They get a small check mark on their dance card, Yeah.
 

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